About Praying Mantis
What is a Praying Mantis?
The praying mantis (plural mantises) is any member of the 2500 or so known species that make up the order Mantodea. Mantises are visual predatory insects, and are characterized by their large raptorial forelimbs. In most species these limbs are spined, and in all species, are used for prey capture.
Praying mantises are found in nearly every continent (except Antarctica) but most of their diversity is in the warmer regions of the world. Mantises can be as small as 1 inch as an adult (Amantis nawai) to 7 inches (Ishcnomantis gigas). They can be a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, and all of these play into how they try to camouflage themselves to ambush prey and hide from potential predators.
Mantises grow by molting. As with all other insects, they shed their exoskeleton to grow. Unlike insects with complete metamorphosis, however, mantises don’t have a pupa stage or larval stage. Instead, they hatch as miniature versions of the adults, called nymphs, and through each molt attain more and more adult characteristics, until they shed for the last time and grow wings. Each of these nymphal stages is called an instar, and we denote them as i1 for a hatchling, i2 for a nymph that has molted once and so on, until the mantis becomes adult.
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Mantises as a Pet
Praying mantises are amazing pets to have. They are much more interactive compared to other insects, given their excellent eyesight, and will respond more readily than a beetle or a stick insect to human interaction. The wide variety of species available in captivity, combined with their entertaining feeding response and small size make them an excellent choice for a pet.
Praying mantises are solitary predators, and so they are incapable of forming emotional connections with their owners. That being said, mantises will become accustomed to handling over time. Mantises prefer to be left alone, but handling for short periods every now and then won’t cause the mantis much harm, just be sure it is not being handled close to a molt.
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Housing Basics
Praying mantises generally need an enclosure that is 3 times as tall as their length, and 2-3 times as long as their length (this can depend on the species). The height requirement is important for ensuring the mantis can molt properly, and the space allows the mantis to have enough room to climb back up to spread and dry their wings during the adult molt. It is inadvisable to overcrowd your enclosure, as the mantis may molt onto a stick or fake flowers or some other decoration and injure themselves as a result.
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Humidity
Most species of mantis require water fairly regularly, and this can be achieved both by misting your mantis (gently) and ensuring their food items are gutloaded well. Both of these are key to avoiding potential molting issues. Contrary to popular belief, mantises don’t require too much ambient humidity to grow (though for incubation of oothecae it is key), and instead require high internal water content in species that typically inhabit moist habitat. Your mantis may dip its head down and “nibble on you” if you are holding it. This is the mantis trying to drink the moisture on your skin, so give it a spray of water so it can drink.
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Feeding
Mantises will typically go for prey anywhere from 1/3-1/2 their size. Some species are especially aggressive however, and will consume prey their size or larger. To feed the mantis either drop the prey item into the enclosure, or hold the prey at a short distance away from the mantis on tongs, and let the mantis come up of its own accord to grab the prey. Keep in mind, feeder items can disturb the mantis during a molt, so ensure that all feeder items (especially roaches and crickets) are removed from the enclosure if they are not eaten within a day.
Popular feeders include Blatta lateralis (Red runner roaches), Banded crickets (Gryllus sp.), House flies (Musca domestica), Blue bottle flies (Calliphora vomitoria), and Fruit flies (Drosophila hydei or Drosophila melanogaster). Pick the feeder item according to the size of your mantis. Typically fruit flies will be perfect for most nymphs for the first 2 – 3 instars, after which you can move to flies, crickets or roaches. With crickets, ensure they are kept clean, as they can sequester harmful bacteria that could potentially make your mantis sick.
Feel free to set up a feeding schedule for juveniles once you figure out how much they can eat in a sitting. Feed your mantis until the abdomen is plump, then wait till it slims down to about half the size before feeding again. Adult females should not be fed on a strict feeding schedule. They will eat regardless of if they are hungry or not, and this can lead to them becoming eggbound, as they store too much fat and are unable to deposit the eggs they have produced. Many people who keep female Hierodula lose them this way. Insteaed, feed till the abdomen is partially inflated, then aim to keep the abdomen around that size. Your mantis will live a much longer life this way.
Molting
Molting is a sensitive period for mantises, and it is usually where most keepers lose their juveniles. Typical pre-molting signs include loss of appetite, soft looking exoskeleton, sluggishness, raised wingbuds (in older juveniles), and hanging upside down such that they appear to be pushing down towards the ground. If you see any of these signs, stop handling, feeding, and remove feeders from the enclosure (if there are any). Only offer the mantis water and some good luck. Mantises can eat 1-2 days after molting, but can be offered water the day after. Avoid handling the first day or two after molting as well. The exoskeleton can be soft, and prone to damage.